Many institutional buildings, especially hospitals and the like, utilize impact-resistant handrail structures installed along the walls of corridors. Advantageous forms of such impact-resistant handrail structures employ internal skeletal supports, typically formed of aluminum extrusions, which are mounted to stand off slightly from the wall surface. The skeletal support is partially enclosed by a plastic shell, also of extruded construction, which extends over the top, bottom and front surfaces of the structure to present a smooth, continuous surface to the outside. The internal skeletal structure provides limited internal support for the shell, in some cases including internal resilient support elements, such that the shell is permitted to flex, if necessary, to absorb impact. Thus, when the handrail is impacted by wheeled devices commonly utilized in such structures (e.g. carts, hospital beds, movable apparatus of various kinds), the handrail structure can absorb substantial impact without being permanently damaged.
While the straight-run portions of such handrail structures can be constructed and assembled in a relatively straightforward manner, the corner areas and returns have presented more difficult problems. The corners typically are right angle sections, either external or internal, where two walls meet. The corner sections join two adjacent straight line sections of a continuous handrail structure. Likewise, where the handrail structure terminates, it is conventional to provide a return section, which is externally similar to a corner section, but functions to connect the terminal end of a handrail section to the flat face of the adjacent wall to provide a neat, clean end construction for the handrail.
While the design of effective impact-resistant straight line handrail sections has been well developed, imparting a desired degree of impact-resistance to the corner sections and returns, while still providing a construction that is visually consistent with the straight line sections has proven somewhat more difficult, especially without introducing considerable extra manufacturing expense.
In accordance with the present invention, a simple and inexpensive, yet highly effective impact-resistant corner construction is provided, which is easily adaptable to inside or outside corner installations, as well as for returns. The corner assembly, in both weight and appearance, is consistent with the remainder of the handrail structure and is easily installed therein.
Pursuant to the invention, a corner or return section comprises an arcuate tubular section of relatively thin walled plastic material which is externally consistent with the extruded linear shell utilized on the main section of the handrail. An impact-resisting skeletal support element is installed internally of the arcuate tubular section. The skeletal support member is of a lightweight construction, and provides support for either the external or the internal wall of the tubular section, depending on the orientation of the corner, that is, whether the inside or the outside wall of the arcuate tubular section is exposed to impact. The skeletal support member is mounted and retained in the tubular section by means of recessed end plates, which close off the opposite ends of the tubular section, while allowing tang-like extensions of the support member to project beyond each end of the corner section, for attachment to an adjacent, straight line section of the handrail structure.
To particular advantage, the internal skeletal support member for the corner section may be of extruded construction. However, instead of being an elongated linear extrusion aligned with the axis of the rail, as in the case of the straight line handrail sections, the extrusion axis of the corner skeletal section is at right angles to the axis of the handrail. Individual internal skeletal support elements are derived by cutting the extruded section into appropriate relatively short-length sections.
For a more complete understanding of the above and other features and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, together with the accompanying drawing,